French Laundry Fête: Ice sculptures, glasses, and cigars donned the specially designed double X logo at Michelin three-starred The French Laundry (Yountville, CA) for the restaurant’s 20th anniversary celebration. Notable guests and locals gathered for a six hour feast, where the staff, including Keller chefs David Hands (Bouchon, Beverly Hills) and Eli Kaimeh (Per Se, New York City), proffered the restaurant’s classic dishes. Pictured: a gleeful Keller with fiancée Laura Cunningham. Photo by Alex Berliner. Click image to view more.

Say Cheese: September 2014

Abbe Lewis -
September 2014

Harvest to Harvest
Guests gathered at Harvest restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, for a farm-to-table fund-raiser with proceeds going to Waterstep, a local nonprofit assisting communities around the globe with sustainable water solutions. Coby Lee Ming served a three course dinner, including Elector beer–braised pork shoulder and crispy cauliflower dumplings. Pictured: Ming flanked by Kentucky agriculture commissioner James Comer and Louisville mayor Greg Fischer. Photo by Jerry McBroom.

Trailing for Dollars
Southern California restaurant employees, owners, and chefs competed in the Los Angeles Waiters Race at this year’s Taste of the Nation Los Angeles in Culver City. The event, hosted by Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions, was comprised of nine three-person teams, who poured wine and balanced glasses on trays while running. Culina’s team came out on top, winning a trophy and bragging rights. Five thousand dollars was donated by Ipic Theaters to benefit Share Our Strength. Pictured: chef/contestant Susan Feniger, representing team Mud Hen Tavern.

Cycling Chef
“I made it!” exclaimed Ben Pollinger, executive chef of New York City’s Oceana restaurant, who finished this year’s Gran Fondo New York cycling race (his very first “century” race) in just over eight hours. The out and back 100 mile course stretched from the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan to Bear Mountain State Park. Pollinger raised a grand total of $11,685 for nonprofit City Harvest to help feed New York’s hungry. Look for Pollinger at next year’s Gran Fondo New York, where he will, once again, raise money for City Harvest.

French Laundry Fête
Ice sculptures, glasses, and cigars donned the specially designed double X logo at Michelin three-starred The French Laundry (Yountville, CA) for the restaurant’s 20th anniversary celebration. Notable guests and locals gathered for a six hour feast, where the staff, including Keller chefs David Hands (Bouchon, Beverly Hills) and Eli Kaimeh (Per Se, New York City), proffered the restaurant’s classic dishes. Pictured: a gleeful Keller with fiancée Laura Cunningham. Photo by Alex Berliner.